


Distraction, or, Not One of Shindou's Brighter Strategic Moves

by Aja



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Gen, M/M, waya's life is intolerable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-02
Updated: 2008-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-17 23:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1406689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aja/pseuds/Aja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's a bully and he's not chasing the Hand of God and he's totally not even hot!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distraction, or, Not One of Shindou's Brighter Strategic Moves

**Author's Note:**

> originally written in 2008 for blind_go. i don't even care, i love this and them. <3

The morning at the Institute has stretched on longer than usual, and Akira feels certain no post-game discussion has ever lasted this long.

In the back of his head, he admits that possibly Hikaru's absence due to his being scheduled for a conference in Osaka might have something to do with how bored he is. He's so used to looking around and finding Hikaru in any space he's in, trading him looks of exasperation or amusement, as the case may be, sitting furiously engrossed in some probably-brilliant move, or doing something crazy at any given moment, like -

\- like barging through the door, huffing like a steam engine, still in his rumpled suit, beelining for Akira. And if that wasn't enough to sound the alarms in Touya's head, Waya is following behind, banging his palm against his forehead.

Hikaru is glaring at him, faced flushed and angry and a little panicked, in a way that shoots concern through Akira, constricting his lungs when he tries to steady his breathing. Akira scrambles to his feet without even apologizing to his bewildered opponent, and has only just managed a worried, "Shindou -?"

"Did you sleep with Ko Yongha?"

The entire room falls silent, except for the repeated smack of Waya's hand against his head.

"I - I beg your pardon?" Akira stammers, shocked into politeness.

"Did you _sleep_ ," Hikaru says again, slow and angry, "with Ko Yong Ha?"

In the middle of his complete astonishment the meaning of Hikaru's expression hits Akira, and he answers with all the experience of a lifetime spent cultivating an air of haughtiness for just the right moments - and this is certainly a moment, to say the least - "I take it you'd be angry if I did?"

"Oh, God," says Waya weakly. "Here we go."

"You bet your ass I'd be angry!" says Hikaru. "He doesn't _deserve_ you!"

"Oh, really?" Akira laughs. "And you get to decide that?"

"Well someone ought to," Hikaru yelps, waving away Waya's attempts to shut him up and/or brain him with a goke, Akira isn't sure which. "Since you're being such a - ow, Waya, let go!"

"I don't see a problem with Yong Ha," Akira retorts, switching into Korean to add, "After all, he beat _you_ , didn't he?"

The way Hikaru’s face totally drains of all color in less than two seconds sends a pang of guilt through Akira- or at least it does until Hikaru gathers his wits about him and snaps back: “He's a bully and he's not chasing the Hand of God and he's totally not even hot and - _you better not have slept with him_!"

Waya has gotten hold of Hikaru's shoulder with a grip Akira envies, especially when it proves enough to drag Hikaru backwards and out of the room despite Hikaru's best efforts to break free. Akira follows, because it can't be good to let his eternal rival go around ranting like a complete lunatic, even if Hikaru's reputation for being totally insane accounts for his persistant advantage during matches. Akira should be more used to the stares of the entire Institute following the two of them around, but they've never stared quite _this_ hard before.

"I hope you know you've just set the all-time record for most psychotic performance in the history of the Go Institute," Waya is telling Hikaru matter-of-factly, while he and Isumi struggle to keep Hikaru from barging back inside. Hikaru stiffens and jerks away when Akira bangs open the door.

"Psycho! Ha!" he says, jabbing an accusing finger at Akira. "I'm not the one who's sleeping with the enemy."

Akira makes his voice as flat as possible, and responds in the most unimpressed tone he can dredge up. "Who would you rather I were sleeping with?"

Hikaru blinks at him. "Huh?"

Akira icily repeats the question.

"You shouldn't be sleeping with anyone!" Hikaru yells. "We have to catch up, you can't catch up if you're all - " he waves his hands vaguely - "distracted!"

"I'm not hearing this, I'm not hearing this," Waya moans.

"You do know there are other things in life besides Go," Akira scoffs. But his voice doesn't quite match up with his eyes, and so Hikaru just crosses his arms and glares at him.

"Not for you," he says.

And it's true enough, so Akira only glares back.

"Fine," he says at last. "Fine. I'm not sleeping with him!"

"Do you want to be?" Hikaru demands. "Because if you'd rather go off and find some other eternal rival I can -"

"I _have_ one I like perfectly well, thanks," Akira snaps. Then adds, before the look on Hikaru's face becomes too smug, "And I'm not going to sleep with you either, before you go getting any ideas!"

"Good!" crows Hikaru. "Because if you do I'll totally pass you by while you're off in Love-land!"

Akira raises his eyebrows. "Don't you think in that case we'd _both_ be equally affected?"

"No way," Hikaru says, "God, Touya, it's just sex! Like I'd let that get in the way of _my_ Go!"

"Wait, so," Akira says, feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks, "You can sleep around but I can't?"

"Well, duh, you're the one with the horrible taste in Go pros," says Hikaru dismissively.

"I'm not even dating Ko Yong Ha!" Akira splutters, thrown totally off. Waya is looking at him with something like sympathy, which is surreal enough all by itself. "He lives in _Korea_!"

"Like that matters, I know what people do over the internet!"

"Only you would drive two hours to ask me if I'm sleeping with someone on another _continent_!" Akira's eyes narrow. "Did you even stay for your Shidougo?"

"THIS WAS IMPORTANT," Hikaru fumes.

"Now who's letting sex get in the way of their Go?" says Akira.

Hikaru starts shrieking things at Akira that no one can understand except for him. Waya says, "Hey, Touya, if you're still planning on taking the monkey home with you, I know where you can get a good deal on a giant cage." Isumi thwaps him. Akira is sorely tempted to take him up on the offer.

Instead, he leans in to Hikaru's space. "You know, Shindou," he says, speaking deliberately into Hikaru's ear, "imagine how much better our Go would be if we had to play through all that lack of focus."

Hikaru stops yelling and starts choking. Someone from _Go Weekly_ snaps their picture.

When it appears on the front, sporting the headline, 'Rivals set ultimate sights - on each other,' Hikaru barely speaks to Akira - and spends their afternoon game avoiding eye contact and losing by five moku.

Akira congratulates Hikaru on his epic loss, and notes the way his blush trails right down his collarbone beneath his shirt.

Really, he thinks. There's something to be said for distraction.  



End file.
